Why I volunteer

Guest post by FareShare London volunteer Esther.

26 February 2015

My name is Esther; I am from South East London and for quite some time I had been searching for a sense of purpose in my life.

I experienced employment obstacles at the start of the economic downturn and suddenly found myself with lots of spare time on my hands. I decided to explore my hobbies more such as my love of writing. I wrote three short TV reviews and emailed them to as many magazines as possible and to my amazement and shock, two out of three were actually published. I thought – Yes! I can accomplish something in my life – it is possible!

I wanted to continue my writing hobby while having a voluntary role, but only with an organisation that struck a chord with me. So here’s why I chose the charity FareShare.

The ethos of what Fareshare is all about is wonderful. The excess surplus foods which many companies send directly to the charity’s warehouses across the country brings meals and sustenance to a wide variety of projects for people in need in the UK.

Whether I am sorting goods in the London depot and loading vans to deliver to local charities just knowing that all these food items that could have been wasted are actually going to feed people in need is a fantastic feeling.

Debunking food waste myths

Let’s debunk some myths about food waste here. The foods that come into FareShare are high quality and in date but are classed as ‘waste’ for many reasons, such as pumpkins not being orange or round enough or a pallet of milk rejected because its packaging has been damaged. Instead of being binned the pumpkins, for example, are giving people going hungry a hot meal in the form of pumpkin soup. The pallet of milk gives hundreds of children a good start to the day at breakfast clubs across the country.

As a volunteer I could be on the phone allocating food to local community or children’s centres, who are so appreciative of every ingredient we offer them that they think of ingenious ways to add them to their menus in cooked or snack lunches. All of these aspects are the absolute meaning of the word ‘purpose’.

This is a blog written by a FareShare volunteer. Esther is one of over 100 people who volunteer their time every week to carry out the vital activities that make FareShare happen. They are the lifeblood of the charity.

We’re always looking for energetic and enthusiastic people to join the team. As a FareShare volunteer, you’ll meet interesting people, gain new skills and give back to your local community.